During Francis' April 29 meeting with Hilarion, the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan of Budapest, Cardinal Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, was absent. He was not even invited to the trip. The reason for this was probably Koch's comments against Moscow Patriarch Kirill, accusing him in April 2022 of being a "state cleric". Ironically, Koch himself was a state cleric as Bishop of Basel (1995-2010), Switzerland. His election - without any input from the Vatican - was also decided by the state and required state approval. His salary (CHF180,000 = over $200,000 a year) also came from the state.